


by any other name

by meggiewrites



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: And Discovery Thereof, Boys In Love, FC Bayern München, Hotel Rooms, M/M, Plane Travel, Secret Middle Names, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 04:45:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13873428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggiewrites/pseuds/meggiewrites
Summary: The first time Manu notices it is when they’re on their way to Madrid.





	by any other name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [temsah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/temsah/gifts).



> This was written as a response to a drabble request for my dear friend Temsah (yes, I am gifting you Neuller – you requested it, you deal with it ;) but since it ended up being longer than 1000 words, I figured I should rather post it on it's own.
> 
> Based on a headcanon of ours.
> 
> Unbeta'd; I hope you enjoy!

The first time Manu notices it is when they’re on their way to Madrid. 

He’s standing behind Thomas in line for the passport check. His hair is getting kinda long, just the way Manu likes it. There’s a tiny stubborn curl at the back of his head, reaching down to touch his neck. It’s quite endearing and as such, terribly distracting.

Thus, he doesn’t really realize it when Thomas pulls his passport out of pocket, showing it to the officer. What he does notice though, as he struggles with finding his own papers in his small bag (wondering why the hell he didn’t take them out earlier), is how quickly Thomas closes the passport again, letting it disappear in the depth of his backpack before sending a short glance over his shoulder, as if to check if he’s been watched.

He softly smiles at Manu when he realizes that he’s been observing him, but there’s an awkward tenseness to it that’s a novelty.

Manu smiles back – unable to stop himself, he’s turned into a horrible sap ever since he’s allowed himself to fall in love with the lanky forward – but he still stores the information away for later.

Later being when they’re sat in the plane, next to each other, as they’ve always done lately. 

They’re just settling in; Thomas at the window, Manu in the aisle seat because he’s not afraid but somewhat uncomfortable when it comes to heights – something he’d never admit to anyone. (He didn’t tell Thomas either; but years ago, when they first travelled together, Thomas had taken one look at him staring out of an airplane window with wide eyes and immediately offered to switch seats.)

Thomas is still rummaging through his backpack before storing it underneath his seat, when Manu clears his throat.

“So, why don’t you like people looking at your passport?” It sounds like a ridiculous accusation once you say it out loud, he realizes.

Thomas looks puzzled, but there’s a tenseness to his shoulders again that Manu can’t explain. The slightly nervous chuckle he lets out only serves as further confirmation that there might be something off.

“How did you find out?”

Manu raises a single eyebrow. “You looked at me like you’d seen a ghost.”

Slowly, a grin spreads on Thomas’ lips. It relieving how it makes him look a lot more like himself. “Maybe I just don’t want people to see my ugly, embarrassing photo that I’d taken when I was twenty-two.”

Manu narrows his eyes, not buying it for a single second. “I knew you when you were twenty-two. You were just as handsome as you are now.”

Thomas grins even more, reaching over to put his hands on Manuel’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Flatterer,” he says, tapping on his leg.

“Honestly, Thommy, what are you hiding?” Manu knows he’s sounding a bit exasperated by now, but he’s getting frustrated – and the fact that Thomas has started tracing his fingers up his thigh, rubbing patterns into the inside of his leg so shamelessly isn’t helping.

“Me?” Thomas smirks. He leans in, whispering into Manu’s ear, his voice rough like a cat’s tongue. “Nothing at all, love.”

Manu groans (and it’s not only because of exasperation.)

They have to separate again as soon as their coach approaches their row – over the years, everyone in charge of football teams has got to get used to varying levels of affection between his players; but even Thomas, who is a shameless exhibitionist on a good day (fully knowing how much Manuel enjoys it, despite always denying so) knows that you can only go so far until someone’d figure out that something is actually going on.

That no one has discovered yet that sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms has become a habit is almost a miracle.

This time, it’s Manu who comes to visit Thomas. It has been his suggestion, even if he usually hates getting out of bed early in the morning in order to be back in his own at an acceptable time.

But this time, when Thomas is under the shower after their personal training, as he likes to call it (with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, of course), Manu is able to roll out of bed and make his way over to where Thomas keeps his things in his open and already quite messy suitcase.

It takes him a while to find the passport, and his fingers are tense with anticipation as he opens it.

The photo is alright actually; once more Manuel is astonished by how little Thomas’ appearance has changed over the years. He’s just about to wonder what’s so god damn special about this picture in particular that Thomas wanted no one to see it when spots it.

Manu has always assumed Thomas has no middle name. On all his files, club documents and other official papers it says only ‘Thomas Müller’, and he figured that just like with everyone else, that was it.

Apparently, it wasn’t. 

Manu knows he probably shouldn’t be surprised – with a run-of-the-mill name like Thomas Müller, it makes sense that your parents would think of something to make you stand apart from the crowd. But still. He stifles a giggle.

In his amusement, he doesn’t even notice when Thomas re-enters the room, dressed in only his boxers and a soft white t-shirt that sits a bit too big on his slender frame (if Manu had to guess, it was probably one of his), freezing when he notices what his other half has discovered.

He doesn’t look too cross though, which Manuel is glad for. Actually, there is something tugging at his lips that almost looks like a smile.

“Good one, isn’t it?” He lets himself plop down next to Manu, placing his chin on his shoulder before taking the passport out of his hands, gracing it with a short look before laying it to the side with a sigh. “I figured I’d better keep it under the wraps if I didn’t want everyone to start teasing me about it.”

Manu grins. He’s knows that as much as he likes making them, Thomas somewhat despises being at the butt end of a joke. 

“And here I thought I was already quite unlucky, being blessed with a last name like Neuer.”

Thomas laughs against his shoulder, his breath warm on Manu’s bare skin. Manu tilts his head to the side, offering him more room when he starts pressing soft kisses against his neck.

It’s a miracle they even make it back to the bed, but in the end they’re both too tired for fooling around some more, especially knowing of the lengthy training expecting them tomorrow.

Manu is tracing patterns on Thomas’ abs, his head resting on his chest, whereas Thomas is halfway sitting upright, his right hand in Manu’s hair, when the forward speaks up again.

“You won’t tell anyone though, will you?”

Manu huffs. He doesn’t promise it, can’t, not after all the Manuel-Neuer-jokes he had to suffer through at Thomas’ hand. He’s sure he understands.

Thomas confirms as such with laughing quietly before laying down fully, pulling Manu into his arms, careful to not put too much of his weight on him.

“ _Schlaf gut, mein Herz_ ,” he says, placing one last kiss on the goalkeeper’s slightly stubbly cheek.

Manu yawns, cuddling up to him even more. “You too, Korbinian.” 

He’s so sleepy that he doesn’t even notice when Thomas fondly hits him over the head as he’s drifting off.

 

**Author's Note:**

>   * I know Thomas doesn’t _actually_ have a middle name, but let me entertain the thought as I think it’s very amusing and I believe the one Temsah and I picked for him is quite fitting! ~~and very Bavarian~~
>   * "Schlaf gut, mein Herz" = "sleep well, my heart"
>   * (yes the title is a very cheesy and overused Romeo & Juliet quote)
>   * I write FICTION about real people. None of this is intended to harm them or their reputation in any way
> 

> 
> Please leave kudos and maybe a comment if you liked it! | [tumblr](http://manuelmueller.tumblr.com/)


End file.
